Never Gonna Leave This Bed
by remioromen1344
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke have parted, but inevitably reunite. There are many feelings involved. Inspired by the Maroon 5 song of the same name. (easily overlooked slash)


**Disclaimer: **I disclaim. I don't own Naruto or Maroon 5 ("Never Gonna Leave This Bed") or the rights to either.

**Warnings: ***waves hands frantically* **_SPOILER ALERT UP TO CH. 627!_**! also, slash. It's small enough to ignore, if you'd like. Also, don't let the h/c category fool you, there's a happy ending :D

* * *

**_You push me  
I don't have the strength to  
Resist or control you  
Take me down, take me down_**

Naruto's greatest weakness was his love for Uchiha Sasuke; his brother, his friend, his Sasuke. Despite the immense power Naruto had accumulated, Sasuke still reduced him to nothingness with nothing more than an unkind word and a glare. Naruto was past the realization that he could never defeat, never change, never kill the Uchiha. He didn't have the strength to resist or control him. Naruto's love and compassion prevented him from raising a hand against him. Against the Uchiha's hate, Naruto's love felt powerless. When Sasuke raised his sword, Naruto lowered his head.

**_You hurt me  
But do I deserve this?  
You make me so nervous  
Calm me down, calm me down_**

Some nights, Naruto lay alone in his bed or his tent, clutching his satchel containing the crinkled and faded photograph of him and Sasuke. He could handle Sasuke's insults, Sasuke's glares, his threats. He could handle the flat affect and emotionless voice. He could handle sharing the emotional baggage that had been thrust upon Sasuke, upon himself. He could handle the hurt that Sasuke dealt on a daily basis. What he couldn't handle was the sting, the burn, the ache of Sasuke's betrayal. Sasuke hadn't just betrayed his village, his team. Sasuke had betrayed the only person left who could truly love and understand him. Sasuke betrayed his first, best, and only friend. And for what? For vengeance that was misguided and ended only in more misery. No matter what he had done in this life or any life before it, he couldn't believe he'd done anything to deserve this. Could Sasuke not see Naruto's feelings, or did he just choose to ignore them? The Uchiha _had_ to see the pain and longing in those clear blue eyes.

But it was the latest meeting with his betrayer, the Avenger, that hurt the worst. Naruto's eyes stung with unshed tears, his palms sweated from nervousness and desert heat. When Sasuke swooped down beside him, Naruto could only close his eyes. He braced himself for the sharp stab that would come from Sasuke's sword and-perhaps worse-his words. He wiped his hands on his pants and tried to take a deep breath, to calm down. He might be powerless against Sasuke, but he could at least do it serenely and with a smile.

He just had to keep believing he could bring Sasuke back.

**_So come here  
And never leave this place  
Perfection of your face  
Slows me down, slows me down_**

Sasuke's heart skips a beat every time he senses Uzumaki Naruto's presence—his brother, his childhood friend, his Naruto. Some small part of Sasuke, the only part left not consumed by rage, hatred, and darkness, mourns their broken bond. Naruto was the perfection that Sasuke was missing. He was Sasuke's rock, his anchor, his sunshine, his heart. Naruto was the only good left in Sasuke's life. His perfect face and shining eyes… He feels that small part of him crying for Naruto on cold nights and warm days. The iota of love left in him would scream for Naruto, would reach out its infantile hands and grasp for his chakra, pulling him, urging him, calling him. And somehow, Naruto always found him. That small iota of love is enough to stop Sasuke's heart beating upon each sighting. He has to remind himself each time why he left Konoha to begin with. And as he sees the glittering of Naruto's tear-filled eyes, time slows to a crawl.

**_So fall down  
I need you to trust me  
Go easy, don't rush me  
Help me out, why don't you help me out?_**

While the others couldn't quite fathom Sasuke "joining the fray" _against _Madara and Obito, Naruto worked alongside him seamlessly, as though they'd never been apart. Brothers. Friends. _Sasuke and Naruto._ Naruto fought beside him unquestioningly, his unflinching loyalty to the Uchiha ever-present.

After the battle, when the two were alone, Sasuke fell to his knees in front of Naruto; "Even if no one else will, I need you to trust me." Naruto smiled quietly. "I never stopped." He held out his hand to help the Uchiha up. Naruto embraced him, gripping the Uchiha tightly against himself. "Welcome home, Sasuke."

Naruto was one of the few to immediately accept the return of Uchiha Sasuke to Konoha. While some people slowly came around, Sasuke, too, seemed to be having trouble trusting the villagers in return. Sasuke was apprehensive. _Go easy, don't rush me. _

But Naruto understood. He let Sasuke take things at his own pace, one step and one day at a time. His newfound closeness to Naruto was making the infinitesimal light in his heart burst into brilliant rays, nearly as bright and all-consuming as the sun. He could feel the rage, hatred, and darkness dissolving, though he would never admit it aloud. He found comfort in the help Naruto gave him—it was found in small things, like falling into old routines, not treating him like a criminal or with kid gloves. It was in the playful grins and training matches. It was in the way Naruto would leave himself open and defenseless, would do anything just to make Sasuke happy.

**_So you say "Go, it isn't working"  
And I say "No, it isn't perfect"  
So I stay instead  
I'm never gonna leave this bed_**

And yet even the great and powerful Uchiha Sasuke had bouts of weakness. He was no longer the most powerful individual in his presence. He found that people would treat him the same way he had so often treated others—with hateful stares, sneers, insults, and disgust. It was as though he were beneath them, as if he were nothing more than filth deemed unworthy of the soles of their shoes. There were times that he stood tall, back straight and face expressionless, unmoved by their mistreatment. But other times, he would feel crushed under the weight of it. There were times he felt so vulnerable, so insecure, so exposed. It's as though life was a vacuous entity, seizing from him everything he cared for and about, everything he had, everything he wanted, everything he might one day have. He would be close to tears, acridly lamenting to Naruto that he should leave, "Go, it isn't working." Naruto would sit next to him, a sad smile on his face and an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "No, it isn't perfect." But he would stay. He would always stay. Not for anything would he ever leave the Uchiha's side again.

**_Take it, take it all  
Take all that I have  
I'd give it all away just to get you back_**

There were days that Sasuke was not himself, but rather a broken shell of a man. The life of an Avenger hurts, it destroys until it kills. The bonds broken, the bridges burned, the people murdered—none of that is reversible. Sasuke didn't have many regrets, but the few that he had were immeasurably heavy. Some days, Sasuke wasn't even the same man Naruto knew. Naruto would grieve for him, would weep and lament his fate. He would pray to a god in which he didn't believe: "Take it, take it all. Take all that I have. I'll give it all away just to get him back." Sometimes, Sasuke inadvertently overheard his lachrymose pleas.

**_Wake you up  
In the middle of the night to say  
I will never walk away again  
I'm never gonna leave this bed, oh_**

It wasn't until one night, around three A.M., that Naruto found true happiness for the first time in years. He was sleeping as soundly as one with burdens such as his is able when he hears his window slide open. Kurama's chakra hadn't responded to any hatred, so Naruto is not alarmed. He remains in a slumbering limbo, only slightly aware of his surroundings. He felt someone slide into the bed behind him, wrapping arms cool from the night air around his sleep-warmed waist. Naruto heard Sasuke's voice whisper, "I'll never walk away again." He felt a small kiss pressed into his hair. "I'm never gonna leave this bed."  
Naruto's eyes filled with joyful tears.

"Welcome back. I love you, Sasuke."  
"I love you too, Naruto."


End file.
